Monday, November 18, 2013

Well, I missed the anniversary, no not my wedding anniversary, but Gem's World Postcards anniversary. It was last Wednesday, Nov 13th .This blog was 6 years old last week. My first entry was Nov 13th , 2007. Today's entry is update # 553. Who would have thought back in 2007, that it would still be active in 2013, certainly not me.

Now on to the cards, the reason for Gem's World Postcards. Today's cards cover a number of themes: Postboxes, Royalty, Aircraft, Trains, People , even a nude and a Japanese painting. All good collecting themes.

Let's start with a Postbox. This one comes from Moscow, Russia. What I like about this one are the 2 horses' heads in the oval under the word Post. I often wonder if these are postboxes or mailboxes. I think this one is a private mailbox for receiving mail, since there is no lock on it. Have a look , maybe you will need to click on the image to enlarge it to see the horses better.

This card came loaded with stamps, seven in all. First there are 3 small definitives dating from 1998 and 2008. Now let's look at the 4 larger stamps. The long stamp on the left is from a set of 4 issued in 2009 featuring Bridges. The 2 aircraft stamps in the middle were issued as part of a set of 5 Military Aircraft in 2005. The 2 shown are the best of the 5 in my opinion. The large stamp on the right is from a set of 3 issued in 2004 commemorating The Amber Room. The Amber Room is located in the Catherine Palace near Saint Petersburg . It is a complete chamber decorated in amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors. Created in the 18th century, it disappeared during World War II, and was recreated in 2003. The set of 3 stamps make a wonderful set and I'd love to have the other 2 in the set. The stamps have embossed or raised features adding to their collectability.

The Dutch Royal Family is up next. The card from Heike, a Dutch Postcrosser, shows King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Princess Catharina-Amalia, the Princess of Orange, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane all waving and smiling. Willem-Alexander became King on 30 April 2013.

Heinke continued with her Royal theme with a couple of Royal stamps. First though is the small stamp on the fare left. It is 1 of a set of 3 issued in 2010 called Business Stamps. What makes them so , I don't know.

The other 2 stamps, the Royals , were issued this year, 2013. We have the new King and the outgoing Queen.

My next card is my token Airline/Aircraft aviation card which I manage to include in most updates. This one is a quite old card featuring an Aeroflot IL-62 . The Ilyushin IL-62 was produced from 1963-1995. When it was introduced in September 1963, it was the world's largest jet airliner. Aeroflt first flew the IL-62 in September of 1967 with a flight from Moscow to Montreal.

This card was issued by Aeroflot and is quite old, maybe from the early 1970s. The card is quite fragile but arrived safely. It will definitely find a good home in my collection. Stanislaw used 2 stamps on his card. The small definitive on the left was issued in 2012, 1 of 2 in a set. The longer stamp on the right was issued 26 July 2010. It was issued as a se-tenant set of 2 with a tab between them. It features the Curonian Spit, a 98 km long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast. Its southern portion lies within Russia and its northern within southwestern Lithuania. It is a UNESCoWorld Heritage Site shared by the two countries.

What do you know, my next card is also from Russia. On this one we see a Russian lady in a traditional costume. Alya who sent this card wrote that she thinks it's a little old fashioned for Moscow today. Since I'm no expert on women's clothes , I really have no opinion on this.

Alya's card arrived with a large stamp from this current year.

It is 1 of 3 issued featuring Medals or Decorations.

The Train Card is next. It arrived from Adelaide, South Australia. This steam locomotive runs from Victor Harbor to Goowal, along the scenic Encounter Coast. Victor Harbor is on the shores of Encounter Bay, where in 1802,
Englishman Matthew Flinders met the French explorer Nicholas Baudin,
while they were both circumnavigating Australia. England and France were
at war at the time, but despite this, the meeting between the two
scientists was friendly and Flinders named the bay after the encounter.

Val used 3 stamps, the left stamp and the right stamp are from a 2012 set of 4 highlighting Agriculture. The middle stamp was issued this year and is 1 of 5 in a self adhesive set of Dogs.

Just so you know, the nude is next. If you are offended ( the mailwoman obviously wasn't ) just skip to the next card.
The card shows a bromide print entitled Nude Girl and Reeds, from around 1911. It is by photographer Bertram Park ( 1883-1972 ) . Park started in the family firm, manufacturers of artist's materials, but developed an interest in photography and became a professional
portraitist. He was a founder member of the London Salon of Photography
in 1910. Park set up studios on Dover Street, London
in 1919. He was successful, being obliged to have up to five sittings a
day to satisfy the demand. He photographed the British Royal Family,
and his reputation was such that various European crowned heads would
come annually to his studio to be photographed. His stylish and
beautifully composed portrait studies more often relied on dramatic
lighting than on elaborate backgrounds.

Catia who lives near Lisbon used a stamp from 2012. The long stamp is from a quite large set of 6 featuring Palaces in Portugal. A large ( in size ) set but very nice.

Now the last card for today. It comes from Japan and shows a Japanese drawing entitled Princess Tora's Rain . It is by Utagawa Hiroshige and dates from 1833.

The 2 stamps that Yosiro used are not new issues. The top stamp was issued in 1984 for Expo 85 , held in Tsukuba, Japan. The bottom stamp is even older, it was issued in 1975 for the National Athletic Games.

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There you have it. Seven cards today, a little longer than my usual. Thanks for cards going out to Viktoria, Alya, Heike, Catia, Yosiro , Val and Stanislav. Take care everyone and come back again soon.

Friday, November 15, 2013

I think it's time for another postcard update. All the cards today are from people who I refer to as postcard friends. I have never met any of them but that doesn't really matter. They see fit to send me a postcard and I am more than happy to see it in my mailbox.

Today's cards come from Belgium, Serbia and Poland. In fact there will be 3 from Belgium.

On this first card we see a lady bringing home her latest purchases, right next door to a large jet aircraft. I'm sure there's more to this picture than meets the eye. If not, it sure makes for one noisy neighbourhood , especially when starting up. Back in the 70s I lived , what I thought was close to the flightline in Goose Bay , Labrador, but it was no where as close as this . I hope the lady bought some earplugs. Meelis , who has previously sent cards from Ukraine and Estonia sent this card, his second from Belgium. I guess he gets around a bit, too.

Meelis used a number of Owls definitives issued in 2007 and 2009. The stamp on the right uses a photo by Dos Winkel featuring Tropical Fish.

My next card comes from Belgrade, Serbia. It shows just a small section of Skadarska Street , near the city center. It is a charming cobbled street in a Bohemian quarter popular for its old taverns, art galleries and performers.

Ana's card comes from a Postcrossing meetup, the 3rd held in Belgrade. The card was autographed by 5 other Postcrossers. Ana used a 2013 stamp issued for the Kalemegdan Festival.
Ana has a top notch postcard blog called "My World of Postcards " and you can find it right here.

Now for my first Airline related postcard of the day. It says "To Belgium By Sabena. Belgian World Airlines." The card showcases The Atomium, an iconic building in Brussels originally constructed for Expo '58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair.

Johan used a very recent stamp , commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Red Cross. The card received a special First Day of Issue cancellation and date stamp. The stamp is a part of a Joint Issue with Spain. As I mentioned about Ana's blog, so to I must mention Johan's . His is entitled "Johan Postcards" and you can get to it here . Now here's the Red Cross stamp.

Here's another Airline card for my Airline/Aircraft Collection. This time it's Lloyd Aereo Boliviano's Airbus A310 on the ground at Miami, Florida. Incidentally , Miami is where I'll be for a couple of days and nights , towards the end of this month.
Lloyd Aereo Boliviano , or LAB Airlines was an airline serving as the flag carrier of Bolivia.
It operated domestic and international flights, aiming at passenger as
well as cargo transport. LAB was active for more than 80 years. It was founded in 1925 and ceased operations in 2008.

Urszula used a couple of great stamps on this one. The 2 larger stamps are from a set of 6 issued in April of 2011. The set is called Smiles of the World , based on the photography of Elizbieta Dzikowska.

My last card for this time is another case of the old and the new, or out with the old, in with the new. It was Prince Philippe and King Albert on the day of the birth of Princess Eleonore. Of course Philippe is now King Philippe, King of the Belgians, having ascended the throne on 21 July 2013.

Again Johan was able to secure a fine special Royal Crown cancel on the First Day of Issue of the stamp featuring the country's new King.

That's the update for this time. Thanks for reading and as always , your comments are welcome. Take care.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Today
, November 11th is Remembrance Day in Canada, a national
holiday. Today is a day to
commemorate the sacrifices of members of Canada's Armed Forces in
times of war. It is observed on November 11 to recall the end of World
War I on this date in 1918. Major hostilities of World War I were
formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of
1918.

Lest We Forget

Every year on this date we share a
moment of silence to honour the memory of the men and women of
Canada's Armed Forces who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our
country.In Canada the spirit of remembrance is captured on a
commemorative stamp issued in 2009. The stamp features a close-up
photograph of Canada's National War Memorial in Ottawa.
Red poppies are given prominence on the stamp. Here is the stamp
issued by Canada Post , to honour the courage of our soldiers and to
remember all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Thanks
to Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae and his well-known poem, '' In
Flanders Fields" the poppy and Remembrance Day are deeply linked in
the minds of Canadians.

I
also have a card to show that has some meaning today. It is
Canada's National War Memorial , located in the country's capital ,
Ottawa . It consists of twenty-three bronze figures on a granite
pedestal and arch representing all who have served.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Hello again. As you can see by the title of today's up, I will be showing cards from three continents. Not that that's important of course, because if I was only collecting by continent, I could have given up years ago. Of course I wouldn't have many cards , would I ? I collect by country and by stamp issuing entity, and it seems that all of us collectors collect by different lists. My list has a total of 274 stamp issuing entities on it. Of that 274 I have 259 leaving just 15 left to collect. . Like I said, there are many different lists , so my collection wouldn't fit just right for some others. At this time , I want to offer my CONGRATULATIONS to Peter Korponay-Szabo of Hungary on completing his collection of a card mailed from every country and stamp issuing entity in the world, according to Peter. You can have a look at his postcard blog Korponay-Szabo Peter's Mail Collection right here. On the blog, we writes "The Collection is Complete ! Every country has been collected ! Total 343 Different. " Wow, I am truly impressed. Completing my list has been difficult enough, I'm glad I'm not going by his . I just wish I had a few of his contacts for my remaining 15.

Now on to today's postcards. First card comes from the Island of Sri Lanka, a Land Like No Other. It gives us a look at Kandy Perahera, the grand festival of Esala held in Sri Lanka .
It is very grand with elegant costumes. Happening in July or August in
Kandy, it has become a unique symbol of Sri Lanka. It is a Buddhist festival consisting of dances and colourfully decorated elephants. There are fire-dances, whip-dances, Kandyan dances and various other
cultural dances. The elephants are usually adorned with lavish garments.

Ravindra used a current 2013 stamp that celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Swami Vivekanada.

Thailand is next. Actually, it's Tapu Island, Phang-Nga .

Ko Tapu is a limestone rock about 20 metres (66 ft) tall with the
diameter increasing from about 4 metres (13 ft) near the water level to
about 8 metres (26 ft) at the top. It lies about 40 metres (130 ft) to
the west from the northern part of Khao Phing Kan.

Ratinan , a Postcrosser in Thailand, used a 2012 stamp, 1 of 10 in a set of Coastal landscapes.

Karina from Minsk, Belarus sent this next card. It is the Niesvizh Palace and Park. The castle was a residential castle of the Radziwill family from 1533-1939. UNESCO listed the estate as a World Heritage Site in 2005.

Katina sent her card with a 2013 M
rate stamp featuring a Gypsy Mushroom.

This next card gives us a look at a castle in Bergisches Land , a low mountain range region within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany, east of the Rhine River south of the Ruhr. The landscape is shaped by woods, meadows, rivers and creeks and contains over 20 artificial lakes. It also shows an old mail carriage. These days it works as a tourist attraction and ride.

Lars used a very nice old time locomotive stamp. It is 1 of a set of 3 Historic Locomotives issued in 2012. A very nice set.

My last card for this time is from Louisiana, U.S.A. Looks like a great place to wet your line, down south on the bayou.

Cindy used 3 stamps on her card. On the left is the Silver Coffeepot issue from 2007. In the middle is 1 of 5 from the Muscle Cars 2013 set. This one shows the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda. Finally, the stamp on the right , is the 2013 Johnny Cash Forever stamp.He's The Man In Black.

So ends another postcard update. Thanks for dropping by, leave a comment if you have one. Hope you have enjoyed seeing these cards . Thanks for cards to Cindy, Lars, Karina, Ratinan, and Ravindra.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, and Bonfire Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain. It is also observed in my home province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes , a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords . Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London. Even though I know there won't be any celebrations or bonfires anywhere in Alberta tonight, I still like to remember. Bonfire Night brings back many childhood memories.

No , sadly I don't have a postcard commemorating Bonfire Night, but I'm sure they exist. They exist for just about everything else.

Sinikka , a Finnish Postcrosser sent this card. She used a Moomins stamp from a booklet of 6 self adhesives. Now I know that many , many people worldwide love Moomins , but as a long time stamp collector, I have to say, they are not my cup of tea. I put them in the same philatelic class as Disney stamps. I don't like or collect them , either.

Flying in next is a ANA Boeing 787 aircraft. All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd., also known as ANA, is
Japan's largest airline. It is headquartered at the Shiodome City Center
in the Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan . Ana has 23 B787-8s in service with another 13 on order. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long-range, mid-size wide-body,
twin-engine jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Its
variants seat 210 to 330 passengers.

I received this card as a thank you for a card I had sent to Katuhiko some time ago. One of four International Letter Writing Stamps was used on the card. I guess postcards count in this case.The stamp set was issued this year.

Next is a card from Pretoria, South Africa. On it we can see a number of buildings and statue dating from the former Republic of Zuid Afrika.

This card is compliments of Jean Pierre who was on his latest trip to South Africa. The 2 stamps on this card would certainly be of interest to bird topical collectors. On the left is a 2010 stamp featuring a Beadwork Bird. It is from a set of 23 definitives. The other stamp was issued in 2011 and features an Olive Bush-shrike. There are 5 in the set.

I just have this small update for this time. Thanks going out to Jean Pierre, Katuhiko and Simikka for cards.
Be sure to check back again tomorrow, you never know. Take care.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

I'm back again, with a few more cards, and a few more stamps for all to look at.

Today's first card is from Mariha who lives in Nizhny Novgorod, a city of 1.25 million in Russia. It is the 5th largest city in the country. Her card shows an old Russian steam locomotive chugging in to a station. Nizhny has a Railway Museum with many train engines on display. I bet all you train postcard collectors out there like this one.

Mariha used a selection of Russian stamps including 3 definitives from 2008 and 2008. The stamp in the top right corner was issued this year. It is a Europa issue highlighting Postal Transport , this one shows mail delivery by horse drawn sleigh in winter. A very nice stamp.

My second card today is from Poland. Urszula sent this fine addition to my Airline/Aircraft on Postcards Collection. Channel Express (Air Services) Limited was an airline that operated scheduled services from Bournemouth to the Channel Islands .
Its main base was Bournemouth International Airport (BOH).
In January 2006 the name Channel Express was dropped, and the company rebranded entirely to become Jet2 , the name given to the company's successful low cost airline.
The airline was established in January 1978 and started operations in
1978. It started with daily services to the Channel Islands under the
name of Express Air Services using Handley Page Dart Herald aircraft. In 2002 Channel
Express established its low cost brand Jet2 whose name it took in January 2006. On this card we see a Lockheed 188 Electra at Cologne Airport in 1991.

Urszula used a 1996 definitive on her card. Two types of this issue exist , one with normal paper and one with fluorescent paper. This is the fluorescent one.

You can see Lake Engolasters on my next card. Engolasters Lake is an oblong
shaped lake at an elevation of 1,616 m. formed in a glacial depression.
It is located close to Andorra La Vella, the capital of Andorra.
The lake water is deep blue and is drained by a drainage basin formed by the Pyrenees mountain ranges, which are snow covered.This card from Andorra is compliments of Fabienne. Actually, my next card is also from Fabienne, but from France.

Fabienne used 2 stamps from the Spanish Post in Andorra. On the left is a 2013 Europa stamp , again highlighting Postal Transport. The stamp on the right , another Europa issue , showcases Forests. It was issued in 2011.

A little messy on the cancellation there.

Now here is Fabienne's second card. It is a reproduction of a 1930 poster commemorating the 1st south Transatlantic postal flight . Jean Mermoz flew in a Latecoere 28 from Senegal to Brazil on 12-13 May 1930.

The stamps. On the left is a 1979 semi postal stamp issued for Stamp Day. The picture on the stamp shows the General Post Office as seen on a 1908 post card. If you are lucky enough to have one of these postcards , drop a comment on her and let me know. It is possible, I have postcards that old. The stamp on the right was issued this year honouring Alexandre Yersin. It is 1 of 2 in a set and is a Joint Issue with Viet Nam.

Now we have a card from Switzerland, I don't really get all that many from there. This card celebrates St. Gallen. St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It is a city of about 75,000 located in the northeastern part of the country. Kathrin wrote that she found this postcard in a used bookstore in Zurich and that I had better take good care of it as she says it's really rare. I hope so!

Kathrin used 2 stamps. The one on the left is 1 of 4 in a 2008 set highlighting Wheat. The other stamp , 1 of 3 Flowers stamp was issued in 2012.

So ends another update. Thanks to Katrin, Fabienne, Urszula and Mariha for their cards. Don't forget to come back again, leave a comment if you have one, don't be shy.